


Downtime

by quiesce



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-30
Updated: 2007-03-30
Packaged: 2017-10-10 23:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/105707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiesce/pseuds/quiesce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hardest thing to get used to was the unpredictability.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downtime

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Hawkeye/BJ, still" prompt for [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=rat_jam)[**rat_jam**](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=rat_jam).

The hardest thing to get used to was the unpredictability. It didn't matter if he was up to his elbows in blood, scarfing down what passed for a meal, or stealing a few hours sleep; choppers could come at any time. Bombs too.

Even during the quieter moments, there was never time to just _stop_. There were often complications with patients they'd thought were ready to ship out and frantic attempts to stabilize before it was too late. Off-duty didn't actually mean _off_ duty. Shifts never ended, not really.

It was overwhelming and exhausting and BJ didn't know how the others did it. Maybe once you were here long enough, you just got used to it, but BJ couldn't imagine ever getting used to this.

And then, after a particularly gruelling shift where he'd lost several patients in a row and was ready to collapse under the weight of it all, Hawkeye caught his eye and flashed him a small, private smile. For a brief moment the world stood still, the war called a truce, and there were no choppers or bombs overhead. Nothing but Hawkeye smiling at him and the realization that he could do this, could keep going.


End file.
